He wasn't always this bad
by Circe King
Summary: Sigyn has spent a good chunk of her life living in a hospital ward, and the quiet second son of the king is just about the only friend she's got. Loki/Sigyn one-shots, most are friendship, may be a few fluff ones later on.


**So as both a fangirl and a mythology geek, Sigyn has always interested me. She has very little mythological backstory and no mention in the Marvel universe despite her important role in mythology as Loki's ever-faithful wife. So, here's my take on Sigyn, remember to review!**

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From the moment Sigyn opened her big, baby blue eyes she understood one thing: pain. When her doctors, her Asgardian immune system and even her parents failed her, pain was the one concrete thing she could cling to in the thrashing sea of her life. By the third hour of her life her heart had given out once and she was essentially dead, barely breathing and tiny even for a premature child. But something in the little Asgardian refused to break, and it had nothing to do with her so-called "godlike" abilities. The premature infant felt herself dying, but rather than letting herself go peacefully she clenched her tiny fists and clung to the pain that was her only real indication that she still lived.

By the time she was seven she could count the number of times she'd left the hospital on one hand. She even had her own room, complete with specially painted walls and all the toys she could ask for. Her legs were extremely weak but she refused to use a wheelchair, so she spent hours working her arms into a strong enough shape to use crutches all the time. Every morning she'd wake up to the same nurse with one of three choices for breakfast: waffles, eggs or cereal. She never chose eggs. After she ate she'd drag herself out of bed and make her way through the children's ward, making small talk with the doctors and nurses that had practically raised her and getting several strange looks from the other patients. The children's ward was normally empty at night and in the morning, most Asgardian children suffered only physical injuries and those normally happened after school ended around two. Sometimes there'd be a short epidemic, almost never deadly, and there would be a few children still asleep in their cots. She'd spend the next few hours reading just about anything she could find or sitting by a window "people watching". At noon her mother or father would come in for their daily one-hour lunch visit. Sigyn was never particularly excited to see either of them, they weren't exactly the parenting type. Her mother would tell her all about her exhausting day at work (being a famous model in Asgard was apparently wearing on her) and her father would spend most of it quietly reading reports. When they left she'd walk around again, notice the new faces as the shifts changed and a few patients started to trickle in.

It was on one of those run-of-the-mill days that the door the infirmary was suddenly thrown open by an army (or what appeared to be one to a ten-year-old who'd only read about so many people) of guards followed by a roaring, golden-haired boy being carried in on a stretcher. Nurses rushed forward and doctors fell out of their chairs trying to get close to the patient who, to Sigyn anyway, seemed to have a broken arm and a possible concussion. They muttered words like "your highness" and "prince" as they doted on him and the guards moved to stand by the doors and windows. In all the chaos no one appeared to notice the sickly girl escape into her bedroom to watch comfortably from the door.

Sigyn set a chair up by the door and collapsed heavily into it. She massaged her aching arms and thighs just like her physical therapist always told her to and kept her eyes trained on the insanity just outside. Two of the richest people she'd ever seen in her life now stood over the bed, the woman was crying (though she couldn't tell why, the boy would obviously be fine) but the man looked only slightly surprised.

As the doctor set the boy's bone and he let out another string of unintelligible roars, the woman shouted at her companion "I knew we should've taken him to the royal physician!" the man didn't appear the least bit phased.

"Frigg dear, he's perfectly fine. If the stupid boy wants to throw himself off buildings in the middle of the city then he'll have to put up with the city hospital. I'm not dragging Eir all the way out here just to set a damn bone!"  
The woman harrumphed and set her hands on her hips but said nothing.

"I told him the drop was too far."

Sigyn shot up when the shadow beside her suddenly materialized into a wisp of a dark-haired boy. "But no, he just _had _to prove he was brave enough."

Not exactly sure how to respond, Sigyn shrugged her shoulders. "I don't see what's brave about throwing yourself off a building."

The boy cracked a grin. "It wasn't really a _building_, more like a raised walkway. Mother left us alone for all of twenty seconds and he was off the edge and screaming his bloody head off. I might not be brave, but at least I'm smart enough not to put myself through meaningless pain."

"It's just a broken bone," she said automatically, and winced when he frowned. "I-I mean it could've been much worse."

"I suppose you're the expert?" he asked, turning to look her in the eye.  
"I'd say so," she said, feeling bold despite his unnerving green gaze. "I've spent my entire life in this ward, and that boy hasn't seen anything near the worst of it."

He nodded. "Well don't go telling Thor that, he'll get us all stuck back here again just to prove he can stand it."

They shared a quiet laugh. "He's your brother then?"

The boy nodded. "Although if you ask him he'll probably say a bunch of frost giants dumped me on the palace doorstep one morning."

"Well a palace sure is better than a hospital children's ward."

"You're a bit cynical."  
She raised an eyebrow at him but he just smiled. "So're you."

"I agree whole-heartedly. Do they have a library around here someplace? Knowing Mother I'll be stuck here for _hours _while she makes them run every test there is on him."

"I'll show you," she swung up on her crutches again. "I'm Sigyn Freyasdaughter, by the way."

"Loki Odinsson, pleased to make your acquaintance."

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**Read and review guys! **


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